Why Capturing Customer Insights Helps Shopify Brands Grow

If you run a Shopify store, you are probably spending a lot of time thinking about traffic. Ads, email, creators, SEO. That is normal. But most brands hit a point where more traffic does not automatically mean more growth.

The brands that keep scaling usually have one thing in common. They understand their customers really well.

Capturing customer insights helps you figure out what is actually working, what is falling flat, and where to focus next, without guessing. Surveys are one of the simplest ways to do this, especially when they are short, well timed, and easy for customers to answer.

Below are three survey types that consistently deliver useful insights for Shopify merchants, plus exactly what to ask and how to use the answers.

Why Customer Insights Matter more than Most Metrics

Analytics tools are great at telling you what happened. They are much worse at explaining why.

Surveys fill in that gap. They help you understand:

• What made someone confident enough to buy

• What nearly stopped them from purchasing

• Which channels and messages actually stuck

• Who genuinely likes your brand and why

When you know these things, decisions get easier. You spend money in the right places, fix the right problems, and stop relying on assumptions.

Attribution Surveys: Understand What is Really Driving Sales

Most Shopify merchants rely on ad platform reporting to decide where to spend money. The problem is that customers rarely buy after just one touchpoint.

A post purchase survey lets customers tell you, in their own words, what influenced their decision.

What to ask

• “How did you first hear about us?”

• “What influenced your decision to purchase today?”

What you will learn

• Which channels are actually introducing new customers

• Which channels support conversions but get little credit

• How customers describe ads, creators, or content that stood out

How merchants use this data

• Shift spend toward channels customers mention most

• Spot undervalued channels like organic social or referrals

• Improve ad copy using real customer language

Learn more about running effective post purchase surveys on Shopify.

CRO Surveys: Find Out Why Customers Chose You

Conversion rate optimisation is often treated like a design problem. In reality, it is about confidence and perceived value.

CRO surveys help you understand what customers were thinking right before they clicked buy.

What to ask

• “What nearly stopped you from buying today?”

• “What convinced you to choose us over other options?”

• “What mattered most when deciding to purchase?”

What you will learn

• Common objections like price, trust, or shipping

• Which value points customers actually care about

• Which ad hooks or messages resonate most

How merchants use this data

• Address objections clearly on product pages

• Reuse customer language in ads and emails

• Prioritise CRO tests based on real feedback

See how a CRO survey can guide better optimisation decisions.

NPS Surveys: Spot Promoters and Grow Through Referrals

Understanding how customers feel after they buy is just as important as knowing why they bought in the first place.

NPS surveys help you identify customers who would recommend your brand, and those who would not.

What to ask

• “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?”

• “What is the main reason for your score?”

What you will learn

• Who your promoters and detractors are

• What drives loyalty and repeat purchases

• Where the experience needs improvement

How merchants use this data

• Invite promoters to leave reviews or join referral programs

• Follow up with unhappy customers before they churn

• Track brand sentiment over time

Learn how Shopify brands use NPS surveys to improve retention.

How to Get Started without Overthinking It

You do not need complex surveys or long forms. Start small.

1. Add a short post purchase survey after checkout

2. Ask one open-text question

3. Review responses once a week

4. Turn insights into clear actions

The value is not in collecting feedback. It is in using it.

FAQ

Do I need an app to run a post purchase survey?

You can technically run surveys manually, but most merchants use an app to keep things simple and consistent. Apps like Grapevine let you trigger surveys automatically after checkout, collect responses in one place, and pass the data through to other tools without manual work.

Do surveys hurt conversion rates?

Not when they are shown after purchase. Because the order is already complete, surveys do not interfere with checkout or payment.

Are open text responses worth the effort?

Yes. Open text answers often surface patterns you would never think to ask about directly, especially around objections, messaging, and perceived value.

How should survey responses be reviewed?

Instead of one off reviews, treat survey data as a live feedback stream. Many merchants feed responses into Google Sheets, trigger alerts in internal comms tools, or review trends weekly so nothing important gets missed.

Capturing customer insights is not complicated. It is just about listening at the right moment.

Brands that do this well tend to grow faster, because they make decisions based on what customers actually say, not what dashboards assume.